Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2019: Breakouts from same model that called Khris Davis' huge season

We're less than two weeks away from league-wide MLB Opening Day on March 28. MLB news is pouring in as rosters become clearer. We know that new Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is day-to-day after being hit in the ankle by a pitch during spring training. Also dinged up is Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who played on Friday, but had been limited with soreness in his side. And in L.A., it looks like Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw won't be ready for Opening Day as he continues to nurse a sore shoulder. With so many injuries already mounting, it's more important than ever to use reliable 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings. They'll help you find the biggest 2019 Fantasy baseball breakouts, players who are waiting in the wings to explode onto the MLB scene. That's why you need unbiased, objective Fantasy baseball rankings like the ones you'll find at SportsLine.

Last season, the proven computer model at SportsLine helped turn owners on to Athletics outfielder Khris Davis, who wound up as the No. 12 player in all of Fantasy after going in the middle of the fourth round (No. 43) in standard CBS Sports leagues. After hitting 43 home runs and driving in 110 runs in 2017, the jump to 48 home runs and 123 RBI in 2018 helped propel him into the realm of the Fantasy elite.

The team at SportsLine was all over Davis as a Fantasy breakout from the start. Their Fantasy baseball rankings and cheat sheets said he would outperform his draft position in a big way, and anyone who listened to their advice was well positioned for a league title.

The SportsLine Projection Model is powered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. And that same group is sharing its 2019 Fantasy Baseball rankings and cheat sheets over at SportsLine, helping you find Fantasy Baseball breakouts, sleepers and busts long before your competition. Their Fantasy Baseball cheat sheets, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day. Any time an injury occurs or there's a change on a depth chart, the team at SportsLine updates its rankings.

In fact, when it came to ranking players in Fantasy football, SportsLine's Projection Model beat human experts last season when there were big differences in ranking. And the model was the closest to the hole overall, meaning it best pinpointed where every player would finish each week. That could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.

One of the 2019 Fantasy baseball breakouts the model is recommending: Royals first baseman Ryan O'Hearn.

The 25-year-old took MLB surprise last season after an August call-up in which he hit 12 home runs, 10 doubles, two triples and drove in 30 runs in just 170 plate appearances. He slashed .262/.353/.950 despite having just a .713 OPS in Triple-A last season.

O'Hearn draws plenty of walks, uses the whole field, has been cutting his strikeout rate, and has made a concerted effort to drive the ball to take advantage of his raw power. His .293 BABIP last season indicates he wasn't getting extraordinarily lucky, while his HR/FB rate of 25 percent was well within the parameters of his minor-league averages.

Currently, O'Hearn has an ADP of 50 among first basemen, but the SportsLine Projection Model predicts he'll be a top-10 player at his position. That makes him one of the model's top 2019 Fantasy baseball breakouts for draft season.

"La Tortuga" was a monster last season after a late call-up, slashing .355/.371/.516 in 97 plate appearances with three home runs, four doubles, a triple, and 21 RBIs. And whereas playing catcher would traditionally limit the number of plate appearances, Astudillo's positional versatility should actually help keep him on the field more often than your typical platoon catcher.

Astudillo is a master of contact and, while he still has work left to ensure he earns a roster spot, his potential to provide a high average and develop power at an offensively-challenged position makes him extremely intriguing. That's why the model projects he'll finish as the No. 9 catcher in Fantasy baseball despite an ADP of 19 at his position.

SportsLine is also predicting an emerging star to provide top-six production at his position despite being drafted outside the top 12. You'll want to target him before your opponents, as that could be the difference in winning your league or going home with nothing.